A pressing machine is known which works the workpiece into predetermined shapes by performing different pressing operations at a plurality of working positions on the same press bed. Pressing machines of this type sometimes use a feed apparatus that transfers the workpiece from one working position to the next by moving along a slide bar a plurality of cups that apply suction to the workpiece at several portions of its surface. In this case, when the press machine is operating, the cups must be retracted to a position between one working position and the next so that they do not interfere with the operation of the machine. Before the pressing machine starts to work the workpiece, the conventional feed apparatus moves the slide bar by half the amount of the feed of the workpiece to retract the suction cups to a position between one working position and the next so that they will not interfere with the pressing operation. But this design calls for the provision of a reasonable space between adjacent working positions, and a press bed which is undesirably long in the direction of the feed of the workpiece is unavoidable.
Furthermore, when one pressing operation is completed, the conventional feed apparatus is not capable of returning the suction cups to the first working position without another movement of the slide bar, so the interval between one pressing operation and the next involves a fairly long time that is spent in only feeding the workpiece.